Next story in Death of bin Laden

WASHINGTON — A government watchdog group Friday sued the federal government to release Osama bin Laden death photos and videos.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Friday at a news conference that the release of the images from the Navy SEALs' raid on bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound are in the public interest.

The group filed the lawsuit in Washington, D.C., federal court under the Freedom of Information Act against the Department of Defense. Judicial Watch is a conservative Washington-based public interest nonprofit.

The suit follows a May 3 FOIA request for the images from the Pentagon and CIA.

Other groups to submit FOIA requests for the photos include NPR, Politico, The Associated Press and conservative advocacy group Citizens United, according to TheAtlanticWire.com

The government had 20 days to respond to Judicial Watch's request, but the group said the Pentagon told it, "At this time, we are unable to make a release determination on your request within the 20-day statutory time period."

He called images from the May 2 raid "basic information about one of the most important military operations in a generation."

SEALs killed bin Laden, who was hours later buried at sea from the USS Carl Vinson.

President Barack Obama said he had decided not to release post-mortem photos of bin Laden because doing so could incite violence and be used as an al-Qaida propaganda tool.

"The president's statements suggesting that these documents not be released because he doesn't want America to be seen as spiking the football or gloating are not lawful reasons for withholding the government information of this nature," Fitton said Friday.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday the CIA showed him raid photos, some of which he called "gruesome."

Inhofe said he saw 15 photographs, nine taken at the scene of the May 2 raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan; three from the USS Carl Vinson; and three older photographs to compare for positive identification.

Reuters and NBC News contributed to this story.

Video: Onslaught of info paints clear portrait of bin Laden

>>>now we turn overseas. the latest news resulting from the death of
osama bin ladin
. we seem to be learning more about him in the 11 days since his death at the hands of
u.s. navy
s.e.a.l.s than we've been able to learn in the past ten years. thanks to all that stuff the s.e.a.l.s were able to grab from his house on their way out, including a handwritten notebook.
nbc
's
peter alexander
in islamabad again for us tonight. peter, good evening.

>> reporter: brian, good evening to you.
nbc
news has learned in that handwritten notebook,
osama bin ladin
was focused on what one u.s. official calls spectacular attacks. he specifically mentioned four major u.s. cities as potential
al qaeda
targets. new york, washington, chicago and
los angeles
. senior
u.s. military
and intelligence officials tell
nbc
news from inside his hideout,
bin ladin
was fully engaged to carry out other 9/11 style attacks. describing him as a micro manager and meticulous note taker. he used his compound as a
command and control
center for
al qaeda
. compiling his thoughts and plans for new attacks in multiple documents including a handwritten 10-page notebook.

>>he mentions the
big cities
, he mentions certain important dates, for example, the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 which is coming up. he mentions transportation, aviation and rail.

>> reporter: this wave of intelligence is emerging through a government campaign of briefings and orchestrated leaks. he was preoccupied with attacking the
united states
over all other targets. a fixation that led to friction with followers.
nbc
news has learned the president and top
u.s. military
officials were listed as potential targets. but the vice president was said to be less of a target. why the information onslaught?

>>they're sending a message to members of
al qaeda
that the americans may have information about you, they may have information about your whereabouts, about your plans, about your intentions, and it causes them to question what they're going to do.

>> reporter: also seized in the raid, personal correspondence between
bin ladin
and senior
al qaeda
leaders. he spoke of where to attack, what times to attack, and which of his officers would be right for specific jobs. the navy s.e.a.l.s focused primarily on
bin ladin
's office and left behind detailed logs of his and
al qaeda
's activities and movements. logs now in the possession of pakistani authorities who have not yet agreed to share them. and tonight the associated press is reporting that
bin ladin
was actually a prolific e-mail writer, even though his compound had no
internet access
. through a complex system of thumb drives and couriers he was able to get his message out for years, while avoiding detection.

>>peter alexander
on the case in islamabad again tonight. peter, thanks.

An aerial view shows the residential area of Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. commandos.
(Asif Hassan / AFP - Getty Images)
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A general view of the town of Abbottabad, May 6. Bin Laden was living in a large house close to a military academy in this garrison town, a two-and-a-half hour-drive from the capital, Islamabad.
(Khaqan Khawer / EPA)
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Supporters of Pakistani religious party Jamaat-e-Islami rally to condemn the killing of bin Laden, in Abbottabad on May 6.
(Aqeel Ahmed / AP)
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A Pakistani woman photographs her daughter on May , at a gate of the compound where bin Laden was caught and killed.
(Aqeel Ahmed / AP)
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School girls pass by armed Pakistani policemen guarding the sealed entrance to the compound in Abbottabad, May 5, in which bin Laden had been living.
(MD Nadeem / EPA)
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A Pakistani police officer gestures at a checkpoint along a road leading to a house where bin Laden was captured and killed in Abbottabad. Area residents were still confused and suspicious about bin Laden's death, which took place before dawn on Monday.
(Anjum Naveed / AP)
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Part of a damaged U.S. MH-60 helicopter lies the compound. The helicopter was destroyed by U.S. forces after a mechanical failure left it unable to take off.
(Reuters)
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A still image from video obtained by ABC News shows blood stains in the interior of the house where bin Laden was killed.
(ABC News via Reuters)
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Aerial views released by the Department of Defense show the area in Abbottabad in 2004, left, before the house was built, and in 2011, right.
(Department of Defense via Reuters)
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Boys collect pieces of metal from a wheat field outside bin Laden's house, seen in the background, on May 3. People showed off small parts of what appeared to be a U.S. helicopter that the U.S. says malfunctioned and was blown up by the American team as it retreated.
(Anjum Naveed / AP)
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An image from video seized from the walled compound of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, and released by the U.S. Department of Defense, shows Osama bin Laden watching TV. He is said to have spent his last weeks in a house divided, amid wives riven by suspicions. On the top floor, sharing his bedroom, was his youngest wife and favorite. The trouble came when his eldest wife showed up and moved into the bedroom on the floor below.
(Department of Defense via AP)
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Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.